Science Advisory Committee - Meeting Minutes
Monday, October 23, 2023 - Hybrid Mode
Present:
Waheed Khan - Chair
Kevin Jacobs - Member - SP
Joanne Papineau - Member - SP
Georgine Pastershank - Member - SP
Kimberley Keats - Member - SP
Sushil Dixit - Friend of the Committee
Lionel Siniyunguruza - Staff Resource
Regret:
Tina MacDonald - Member - WRH-RT
David Tang - Member - LS
Nadia Leon-Alexis - Friend of the Committee
Daniel Ingram - Friend of the Committee
Katie Beach - Friend of the Committee
Xiaolan Wang - Friend of the Committee
Ali Nasseri - Friend of the Committee
1 |
Welcome |
Waheed |
2 |
Indigenous Land Acknowledgement & PIPSC Code of Respect |
Waheed |
3 |
Review and approval of draft agenda |
All |
4 |
Approval of previous meeting minutes
Previous minutes are adopted in principle. Any edits can be made within one week secretarially. Marielle to send them in translation and post them on the website. |
All |
5 |
Action items from last meeting minutes 5.1 Draft a concept note for the Science Symposium. 5.2 Organize kiosk at the AGM 2023
|
Waheed |
6 |
Organizing SAC meeting dates for 2023
Next meeting date is November 13, 2023 |
Waheed |
7 |
SAC Strategic Operational Plan
7.1 Scientific Integrity Policy:
Monthly meetings with SIP Focal Points are regularly taking place. Focal Points share progress on SIP in their departments/agencies as well as challenges, and they are provided support.
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) is a challenging case, where the Department does not properly consult with the Consultation Team President, and maintains that their SIP applies only to a branch that employs scientists.
Waheed participated in a meeting with the Consultation Team President and ISED management on October 19, 2023. He reminded management that: 1) SIP is a Departmental Policy, and should be clear that it applies to the whole department. 2) Consultation with the PIPSC Consultation Team President should not wait till the policy is finalized. It should be an ongoing process, as mentioned in the TBS policy. 3) Regarding the Governance structure, he suggested moving the President of PIPSC Consultation President Box into the internal consultation process (left side with a solid line), rather than in the parallel consultation process with stakeholders outside the Department. It should be integrated in the Departmental (internal) process.
He reminded management of its responsibility for meaningful consultation with PIPSC and advised management that according to TBS, “Consultation, through communication and sustained dialogue between management and bargaining agents, can contribute to the enhancement of the relationships between the parties. Accordingly it is essential that the senior officials of both management and bargaining agents be committed to continuously enhancing and improving the process. Consultation is essential in building relationships; it is an on-going process not limited to formal meetings between the parties.” He also shared Environment and Climate Change Canada’s SIP which applies to the whole Department, like many other Departments/Agencies.
He shared with ISED management selection from ECCC’s SIP, which states, “ECCC is committed to protecting and promoting the principles of Scientific Integrity and ethical standards. By making scientific integrity a key value of our department culture, we will remain a credible science-based regulator and policy maker, and an authoritative source of scientific information. This means working in a manner that is transparent and open while ensuring a high quality of work, avoiding conflicts of interests and ensuring high standards of impartiality and research ethics. This policy outlines how we conduct, deliver and communicate ECCC science and research. It also helps build on existing practices to:
It was agreed to look into preparing a Scientific Integrity Quiz that can be used at the AGM, to engage delegates and to create awareness.
7.2 SIP Training Update:
Stewards and consultation teams have been waiting for the PIPSC Scientific Integrity Training that was offered by PIPSC last year. It has been delayed. In May 2023, SAC proposed to the Board to direct the Training Section to update, in consultation with SAC the course schedule and to offer another three virtual sessions. The Board has directed staff to organize the training with input from SAC, on a priority basis. Participants expressed concern on the delay and lack of engagement on how input from participants and SAC has been integrated in the course.
Waheed shared his experience attending the pilot SIP training provided by the Canada School of Public Service. He provided input to CSPS. The training is geared towards research scientists and is quite technical.
Canada School of Public Service is launching its new course on Scientific Integrity Policy in the coming days, called “Strengthening Evidence-Informed Government Decision-Making”, under the course code TRN502. Please watch out for it, if you are interested in attending. The School is also offering three new online courses for Federal Public Servants, which you can attend. Applying Climate Literacy Foundations, Contributing to a Net-Zero Canada and Adapting to Changing Climate in Canada. I encourage you to take advantage of these resources.
7.3 Reach out to member to share their stories It was noted that Waheed had reached out to the responsible Director, and will continue to follow up.
Waheed will draft a concept note and share it with members. |
Waheed All |
8 |
WiS updates
It was noted that some SAC members are not receiving any messages organized by PIPSC, such as WiS webinars.
|
All |
9 |
Board Update:
|
Waheed |
10 |
Miscellaneous:
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All |